This is a platform for our affinity group, our squat Positivenest, our projects like Program Awakening, and the videos and posters manufactured by Spirit of Squatters Collective and a few others. Our idea is to bring a lot of positive messages and constructive solutions to the alternative movement. We try to avoid pessimistic news, except when we are fighting for freedom of speech. Real life starts when we turn off our computer, our tv, etc. If you want to contact us, email mgriks@gmail.com

Friday, September 30, 2011

Days of action against the squatting ban / Actiedagen tegen het kraakverbod

29 September - 2 October Amsterdam

* Thursday 29th Sep

16:00 Soup + discussion: "We are the ones we've been waiting for. Or are we?!" (A critical overview on the squatting situation since the kraakverbod, including a sparkling fresh brainstorm about ideas on how to rebound from the bottom etc.)

19:00 Voku

* Friday 30th Sep

13:00 De Hallen opens

14:00 Discussion: "Squatting and 'the movement' – What do we want and how to get there?"

What a coincidence! Thursday Sept. 22nd, the day the Zaanstad city council decides about a development plan which allows the detention boats to stay there a few extra years, a group of international artists discovered the Zaanse Schande ('Zaanstad Disgrace'). A place which inspired them to paint in the afternoon and to have an improvised exposition in the night...

Around 15.30 a group of international rebel artists arrived at the Zaandam Detention Centre. De Zaanse Schande is a very special place! Maybe you know the Zaanse Schans, but to be honoust windmills are boring after a while: they all look the same! But here you have a new tourist attraction which is really interesting and inspiring in a very weird way...

The artists found pretty fast a beautiful spot at the parking place. From there they had a good overview: the boats, the fences, the guards, etc. When they started to make their pieces of art they even got response from the people detained in the boats. One showed a piece of paper behind his window with bars, others greeted with noise. Guess that was the best part of the inspiration the artists needed. Unfortunately the artists couldn't do much more than waving back.

Around 16.00 a van from the department of justice came along in the area behind the fences. The driver showed interest by talking with the artists. Before him there were already other figures (guards) who came along; they didn't say much. One of them (guess it was one of the boat bosses) walked a bit further and started to call. Couldn't hear what he said. Let me guess: "Ohhh, police we now have some artists here who are painting detention boats... Could you please come as soon as possible!".

16.15 a van with 2 male and 1 female police arrived. The big question was: "What are you doing?". The reply was quite obvious: "Painting and making beautifoool art!". Seintje, one of our dearest rebel artists, answered the police in French. It took some time, but after a while they understood. They even liked what the artists made: "I wear an uniform, but i'm a human and also like art". Also the police woman gave compliments.

Last but not least the artists had to give their ID's and some of them even their addresses - but it was clear the police didn't want to arrest the artists for making art: "Could you please stop after a while because the people in the boats are getting a bit restless because you are here. We hope we don't have to come back".

16.45 the painters left after waving goodbye. They got some last noise back. It was time to leave for a short break elsewhere.

Around 19.00 the rebel artists arrived at the Zaanstad city hall. At the entrance security asked what the plan was. "We are invited and we want to show our art inspired by the Zaanse Schande!". If we should behave normally we could go upstairs to the coffee space close to the hall where the Zaanstad city council meets.

There the waiting started. One by one the members of the city council entered. Many of them were interested in the improvised exposition. The artists tried to convince the members of the city council "what an extraordinary location the Zaanse Schande is - and what a great opportunities it should have as a tourist attraction! And look at these boats; couldn't people have a tourist tour inside?!".

Also spontaneous talks about the development plan and the people detained for having no papers followed. Several members of the city council took a painting with them into the hall: Jan de Vries (D66), Patrick Zoomermeijer (SP), Natasja Groothuismink (ROSA) and a few others. The strange thing was people from parties like VVD (right wing liberals) didn't have time to talk with the artists: it was a pitty, they missed the chance to receive free art.

19.30 the meeting of the city council started. The artists left: the outcome of the meeting should be too predictable (the detention boats will stay till 2013) - but the best compliment for the rebellious character of the art made by the artists followed at the beginning of the meeting of the city council: all 6 members who had a painting got the urgent request to first remove the paintings from the hall...

We understand clownpletely: art screaming for freedom could be very dangerous!!!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Yes Men are a culture jamming activist duo and network of supporters created by Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno.[1] Through actions of tactical media, The Yes Men primarily aim to raise awareness about what they consider problematic social issues. To date, the duo has produced two films: The Yes Men (2003) and The Yes Men Fix the World (2009).[1] In these films, they impersonate entities that they dislike, a practice that they call "identity correction". The Yes Men operate under the mission statement of telling the truth and exposing lies. They create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they intend to spoof, which have led to numerous interview, conference, and TV talk show invitations. They espouse the belief that corporations and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public. Elaborate props are sometimes part of the ruse (e.g. Survivaball), as shown in their 2003 DVD release The Yes Men. The Yes Men have collaborated with other groups of similar interest, including Improv Everywhere and Steve Lambert.[2]

radio awakening every tue from 16.00~19.30 in radio patapoe 88.3 fm (links below)

Awakening and Polonia AktywnaAwakening it's a program on radio patapoe.It's talkactive. It means we talk for more than three hours, mainly about politics,squatting,activism,

ecology,tolerance,human and animal rights,punk,spirituality,freedom,love,cultural life in Amsterdam.First we start with the agenda for the squatting scene in Amsterdam( not only),then we have some main subject,sometimes guests.The last ha we do as polish part in this language.The music what we are playing that mainly punk,but this is just as background(package) and in the breaks when we are preparing our self,equipment,material,etc.Patapoe is a pirate, underground,squatters radio. We are playing our program every Tuesday from 4pm till ~ 7.30pm. In Amsterdam You can listen us in the ether 88.3 FM and everywhere else on http://www.freeteam.nl/patapoe If You would like to listen some from our old programs and read description for them go to: http://ourmediaindymedia.blogspot.com/search/label/Awakening%20program if You would like listen,download or embed some of our old issues go to: http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Awakening7 to download the last show mainly about ecology and solutions for climate change You can go http://www.archive.org/details/EcoAwakening7 Invitation to our program Awakening in radio patapoe 88.3fm To all positive organizations & To whom it may concern, If you would like to come to on our show called awakening to talk about, ecology, squatting, local politics, food, animal rights you are more than welcome. Ps: There are also possibilities to make interviews through phone or skype Pass this information further. Let the media to be free.

radio awakening every tue from 16.00~19.30 in radio patapoe 88.3 fm (links below)

Awakening and Polonia AktywnaAwakening it's a program on radio patapoe.It's talkactive. It means we talk for more than three hours, mainly about politics,squatting,activism,

ecology,tolerance,human and animal rights,punk,spirituality,freedom,love,cultural life in Amsterdam.First we start with the agenda for the squatting scene in Amsterdam( not only),then we have some main subject,sometimes guests.The last ha we do as polish part in this language.The music what we are playing that mainly punk,but this is just as background(package) and in the breaks when we are preparing our self,equipment,material,etc.Patapoe is a pirate, underground,squatters radio. We are playing our program every Tuesday from 4pm till ~ 7.30pm. In Amsterdam You can listen us in the ether 88.3 FM and everywhere else on http://www.freeteam.nl/patapoe If You would like to listen some from our old programs and read description for them go to: http://ourmediaindymedia.blogspot.com/search/label/Awakening%20program if You would like listen,download or embed some of our old issues go to: http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Awakening7 to download the last show mainly about ecology and solutions for climate change You can go http://www.archive.org/details/EcoAwakening7 Invitation to our program Awakening in radio patapoe 88.3fm To all positive organizations & To whom it may concern, If you would like to come to on our show called awakening to talk about, ecology, squatting, local politics, food, animal rights you are more than welcome. Ps: There are also possibilities to make interviews through phone or skype Pass this information further. Let the media to be free.

The economic crisis is spiralling out of control and the public is picking up the tab for bankers' failures. Enough is enough. In 4 days European finance ministers meet, let's call on them to back new long-term, people-first policies, and strong measures to tackle speculation. Sign the petition now and forward widely.

Right now, our jobs and services are under threat as speculators gamble and politicians squabble. But in four days Europe's finance ministers are poised to make drastic decisions that could threaten our economy for years to come. Only a mass public outcry now for a cooperative economic approach can protect our future.

Everyday we read headlines: 'Eurozone crisis, turmoil, grim outlook'. Now, some fear a return to the mass unemployment of the 1930s. And to appease the banks, our indebted governments are cutting social spending to save money, triggering riots and recession. But they know we elect them, so if we build a massive European movement now to defend our welfare states and end the cuts we could force them to change course.

Europe's finance ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday. Let's ensure our voices overwhelm the self-serving calls of the big banking lobbies. Join the urgent call for a new economic order, based on long-term, people-focused spending, and strong measures to tackle and regulate speculation and profiteering. We'll deliver it to the finance ministers meeting next Monday. Sign now and circulate to everyone:

Three years ago, governments bailed out the banks with our money, promising it would save our economies. But having saddled us all with debt, the bankers are now demanding more cash while blocking reforms to fix our broken financial system. Citizens across Europe face threats to the jobs and services that we depend on as massive cuts undermine our health care, schools and basic services.

Governments have responded to the crisis -- which was sparked by reckless financial gambling -- by slashing public spending and cutting services, reducing the money we have available to spend and pushing many small businesses to the wall. If politicians switch gears and start spending on transport, energy, and other services we all need, we can inject money where it's needed and stave off the recession.

But now public frustration is boiling over, and this is our moment to mobilise together behind a new solution to the financial crisis: putting people, not bankers, first. Click below to sign the petition, and we'll deliver it to Finance ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday:

Collapsing economies often lead to social and political upheaval and away from the world we want. Recessions bring protectionism, nationalism, racism, and a collapse in social solidarity. Today, by building a European movement against the banks and in support of people, we can draw a line in the sand and demand solutions that strengthen communities not corporations, restoring hope and humanity to the world.

Days of action against the squatting ban / Actiedagen tegen het kraakverbod

29 September - 2 October Amsterdam

* Thursday 29th Sep

16:00 Soup + discussion: "We are the ones we've been waiting for. Or are we?!" (A critical overview on the squatting situation since the kraakverbod, including a sparkling fresh brainstorm about ideas on how to rebound from the bottom etc.)

19:00 Voku

* Friday 30th Sep

13:00 De Hallen opens

14:00 Discussion: "Squatting and 'the movement' – What do we want and how to get there?"

Twenty-first century. Time of great change but also the risks and concerns.Can we survive? Would humanity will cope with the mess that has created mainly during the last century? How far, how long, what disasters we have to experience that people would make the breakthrough of their mentality? There is still hope that if we act united in all possible ways, we can avoid the destruction of our planet, the extermination of generations to come, global warming, water contamination, deforestation or other consequences of our "civilized" life. There is a power that gives the strength to the hope, gives faith that everything will be fine. This power that's love, what especially now we have to distribute in any way possible and as much as we can. Of course, we should start with ourselves, our beloved, then our children, first close and then further family, then all human beings, animals, plants and the entire planet. If we start to love properly, it will not be limited just to ourselves, or eventually only to our family. Developed love does not stop just at feelings for our partners, but on understanding that if we would like to be happy we have to live altruistically so do good to other people, animals, plants and the entire planet. Everything in the universe is interconnected. Our health is increasingly dependent on the health of our planet. We can imagine that we letting in negative energy in to our body by eating every piece of meat, what had to be paid not only by animal suffering but also by the world hunger, climate change, deforestation, poisoning soil and water etc. We wouldn't buy for a child happiness by purchasing cheap Chinese toys, produced by other children from who's childhood was taken away.Giving for beloved heart-shaped chocolates will not pass energy of love if You was aware that to produce it, children were abused at the cocoa plantation.If we understand good in almost all religions and all philosophical systems they're teaching us love. Why, nevertheless, it is still too little of that feeling to save the planet? Why so often still it is just selfish feeling limited only to ourselves ? Why religions that suppose to spread love to often causes bloody wars? We could probably write a book about it but here is not the time and place for that. I would go straight to the heart of the problem and solution. To make our love mature and altruistic I'm encouraging you to familiarize yourself with positive tantra, which by the fact that would ascend us to higher levels of consciousness will give us healthy, happy life for ourselves and our loved ones, and eventually open our hearts and eyes to the needs of our times. Regardless of religion, philosophical system,will bring a feeling and power of love in everything what we do.So why wait ? Start today. Save yourself and the rest. Give happiness to yourself and others !Happy life You get by doing goodGriks 20/02/2011 Translated 16.05.2011 Corrected ... is waiting for You:English native speaker ;)

word has just come in that the valreep peeps will no longer be able to take part in the inspreken tonight. so we can only assume that the stadsdeel considers squatters a problem that will go away if they are ignored. we will not be ignored and the up coming evictions sure as shit won't be ignored.

come to the stadsdeelhuis tonight at 19.00 to show the pigs that they ignore us at their peril.

Spirit Of Squatters Collective : This is solidarity action (like most of our videos). The solidarity is stronger when it is seen by as many people as possible.So...Please use it ! Pass this info to everybody who could be interested !!! Feel free to embed,link it,send it,screen it etc. Use it=don't loose it. Reclaim the media with us !

... So get inspired. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER !!! http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritofsquattersSpirit Of Squatters Collective is always trying to report and support good things what are happening around us. We trying at least one time a day show You some news. We waiting for You to help us support good things with our video channel and with creating independent media.

and that's few words from our pages: With our activities we want to make this world a better place.Reclaim the media with us.Feel free to use our videos.Now all up to you !!!Real life is beginning when you turn off the tv, computer. See you on the streets in actions !!! If You think its important and good what we are doing You can donate what can help us to find more time to improve our activity. Click here: http://ourmediaindymedia.blogspot.comOR EVEN BETTER YOU CAN OFFER US WORK.Thanks !!! WATCH! READ! THINK! REALIZE! TALK! COMMUNICATE! LISTEN! DEFEND! DESTROY! CREATE! CHANGE! GET INSPIRED! RECLAIM MEDIA WITH US! JOIN US! FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS! LOVE !!! SQUAT!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

CALL FOR ACTION - Tuesday, 27th of September,Demonstration at 1pm SPUIPLEIN, cityhall, The HagueRefugees protest against their forced living on the streetWe are refugees forced to live on the streets in the Netherlands. We have come together todefend our basic human rights. We all face similar problems and that is why we will protesttogether in The Hague on the 27th of September. The main reason for this protest is that we don't have our basic needs like right to work, shelter, food and health care covered and as aresult we face the greatest problems any human can face. We are victims of inhuman, harshand unjust immigration policy. We advocate for a human, prudent and fair policy. Because of the worsening situation of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in theNetherlands we are here to give a voice to all the refugees on the street and to protestagainst the government policy of forcing people to live on the street with no possibilities and nowhere to go. We don't even have access to shelters for homeless people. We are excludedfrom society. We are only allowed to live from air and love.It also happens that the Government rejects asylum claims on unjust grounds or distorts asylum seekers' stories in order to reject their claims. We came to the Netherlands for soundreasons and know that we cannot go back because of the situation in our home countries.We are also protesting against the criminalisation of undocumented migrants and the exclusion of migrants from Third World countries. We are not criminals and deserve to be apart of society. We have the right to be treated as human beings. We were born free andequal and we demand to be treated with dignity. The group "Refugees on the street" was formed in Utrecht in July 2011. We arranged aprotest in Utrecht on the 5th of July in support of human rights of asylum seekers andundocumented migrants. We ask for your support and participation in the protest in The Hague on the 27th of September, so we can build a strong alliance to defend the rights ofasylum seekers and undocumented migrants in the Netherlands. There is a preparatorymeeting at STIL in Utrecht on the 16th of September at 5pm. All organizations and individuals that want to support us are very welcome to join the meeting or the demonstration in TheHague.vluchtelingenopstraat@gmail.com, vluchtelingenopstraat.blogspot.com STIL, Laan van Nieuw Guinea 143, 3531 JH Utrecht, 030 2713463. PRIME: 070 305 0415.'WE ARE HUMAN, WE ARE ENTITLED TO BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS!'WE WANT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD LIVES FOR OURSELVES AND OURFAMILIES! WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! IT GIVES US THE STRENGTH TO FIGHT FOR OURBASIC HUMAN RIGHTS!Donatians for travellingcosts welcome at: acountnr 5756 118 Stichting Lauw-Recht, Utrecht

Emergency -- within hours, President Abbas will decide whether to stand up to US pressure and let the world vote on Palestinian statehood, or leave New York with nothing achieved. Let's flood our governments with phone calls and messages telling them to stand behind Abbas, and send a massive wave of support to him to stand strong -- it will be delivered by an Avaaz flotilla of ships that will sail past the UN tomorrow morning:

Today, Palestine's bid for statehood could be dead for months, unless we save it. On Wednesday night, US President Obama met with Palestinian President Abbas, and likely heavily pressured him to avoid a full vote of the United Nations assembly, a vote that Palestine would certainly win. Yesterday, the pressure seemed to be working, with the Palestinians backing off a vote.

It will be a tremendous disappointment to the world and Palestinians for this moment to pass with nothing accomplished. It will undermine peace and feed hopelessness, extremism and violence. But we can still turn it around. In hours, Avaaz will bring a 'flotilla' of ships up the river next to the UN, covered in massive banners. Another boat of journalists from the world's major media will film the flotilla and interview our spokespeople. If we can say that in just 12 hours, 250,000 people have called on Abbas to stand strong and let the world vote, it will help define this moment in the media -- influencing Abbas' decision about whether he can answer the call of history.

This week, Avaaz met with several foreign ministers and our rally in New York to deliver our 1 million-strong petition made news everywhere. But the US lobbying is furious - we urgently need to call on Abbas to stand strong and each of our countries to stand with him. Click below to sign the petition and urgently message/telephone/facebook/twitter key governments and leaders, or leave comments on key press articles to shape the media narrative of this moment. We have just hours before President Abbas addresses the UN with his decision, let's do all we can:

The bid for statehood is a peaceful, moderate, diplomatic attempt to move towards peace and give Palestinians hope after 40 years of occupation, oppression and colonization by Israeli 'settlements'. It would provide for a more balanced and fair peace process between two equal and legitimate states. Avaaz-sponsored polls and others show that large majorities of people across the world support this move. But Israel's extremist government, with its powerful US political lobby, is determined to kill this sensible proposal and keep Palestine weak, offering instead more years of fake peace talks while they colonize more Palestinian land. Ironically, these extremists threaten Israel even more than they do Palestine, since growing numbers of Palestinians are giving up on two states and deciding to embrace a long term struggle -- one they liken to South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle -- for a single secular democratic state with equal rights for all ethnicities and faiths -- effectively the end of Israel as a Jewish state.

Something big is going on here. President Obama says a Palestinian state can only be granted out of negotiations with Israelis. But when Israel applied to the UN for statehood, the US didn't require that Palestinians agree to it. The US rhetorically backs pro-democracy demonstrations in Libya and Syria and elsewhere, but when Palestinians seek freedom, Washington does everything they can to block it. That kind of bias, where a staunch, even blind Israeli ally is the only 'peacemaker' we have is partly why this conflict has persisted for decades. But finally the world has had enough -- 127 nations, including Brazil, India, China and, now, France have stood up to call for a new direction. If others join them, the era of US/Israeli hegemony over this conflict may be coming to an end, with a much wider and wiser set of global and regional voices, especially the voices of the people themselves, to replace it. It all comes down to the next few hours -- let's get the world to stand up, and make it happen:

Abbas is likely to present his bid for statehood and UN membership to the UN Security Council tomorrow, but that small body is controlled by a US veto, and the US can refer his request to a technical committee that will bury it for months. But in the UN General Assembly of all nations, the US has just one vote like any other country. The General Assembly can't fully admit Palestine to the UN, but it can declare Palestine a state, with access to a range of international organizations, like the International Criminal Court, that will improve the rights of Palestinians. UN recognition of statehood will also give greater international legitimacy to non-violent Palestinian efforts to disrupt the Israeli military occupation and illegal colonisation of Palestinian land.

President Abbas is right now preparing to deliver his speech.. At a reception on Wednesday he was reported by the New York Times as saying "I am fed up with all these people, and I don't know what to do". The hopes of the Palestinian people are riding on a man who, after being repeatedly betrayed and undermined by the US, is losing hope himself. But a large majority of the world, and 80% of his own people, support his goal. Let's ask him to put his hope in the world and the call of his people, let the world vote to recognize Palestine, and then trust the world and his people to help that new state flourish.

With hope, Ricken, Emma, Wissam, Nicola, David and the whole Avaaz team